Our Final War
by tanikara kohitsuji
Summary: Sakura confronts Sasuke. "Whatever means necessary." Just how far will she go to stop him? M for character death.


Our Final War

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted as she skidded to a stop behind him.

The raven haired shinobi turned slowly toward her. She stood there, panting slightly, while he stared at her, his typical cool, collected self. She drew a kunai and shifted so she was ready to throw it.

"I won't let you leave," she said, her green eyes hard with determination.

"And how do you intend to stop me, Sakura?" he asked with a low laugh.

She threw the kunai and ran forward, gathering her chakra in her fist. "By whatever means necessary!" she answered.

Sasuke's eyes flicked to blood red as he drew his sword. He used the blade to block the kunai. Sakura was right behind it, her fist drawn back to punch. The rogue ninja jumped out of the way and her attack hit the ground where he had been standing. The ground crumbled under the impact, creating a crater.

"Not bad," he said as he took over the offense. "But let me show you how it's done." Electricity and chakra began to crackle around his sword. He raced toward her, a smirk on his face. When he was close enough, he swung the blade toward the pink-haired girl. It bit deep into her side. But then he saw the girl return his smirk. The clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He whirled around, eyes alert for a trace of her.

"Cha!"

The Uchiha stumbled back, his ears ringing from the impact of her kick to his head. He turned to face her but she was already gone.

"Having trouble finding me?" her voice asked.

"Never," he answered. He caught the noise of footsteps and moved toward them. She was running again toward him. _Too easy_. He countered her strike by flipping her up and over him. He rammed his blade through her then. A second of hesitation before the clone disappeared. He was on his guard again in an instant.

She jumped into sight then and flung several kunai at him. Some had bombs attached to them, scattered among them.

Sasuke dodged the tagged kunai and deflected the others. He then took off after the retreating Sakura. He caught up with her. She turned mid-leap to face him.

"Another clone?" he asked as he swung his sword at her. The pinkette threw up her arms to block the attack. As his weapon bit into her skin, he grinned in anticipation of the clone's disappearance. But when she was still there after a second or two, his crimson eyes widened as she lifted her face to peer at him.

Her blood dripped down her arms. "Surprised?" she whispered as drops of her life hit the ground. "Don't be." She quickly twisted her arm and grabbed the blade.

Sasuke began to gather his chakra around the blade. She guessed his next move and wrenched the blade out of his grip. She flung the blade with her incredible strength and stood there panting.

"Now… we're even," she said.

"In your dreams." He swung his leg around to strike her. Unable to dodge, the blow struck her hard and she fell to the ground.

Sakura pulled herself to her knees before Sasuke attacked her again. She recovered and responded with a right hook. "No. Without your sword, you have to rely on jutsu."

"You never had much ninjutsu," he answered, rapidly making handsigns.

"Don't need it!" She slammed a fist into the ground.

He leaped out of the worst of the damage. "So are you here for revenge?"

She glared up at him. "Not everything's about revenge, Sasuke-kun. Like you said back then. We're on different paths. Yours is revenge. Mine…" She ran forward, creating several clones. Each clones whipped out kunai and threw them at him. Cherry blossoms and kunai are everywhere.

"Mine…" She dispersed the clones. "Mine is resolution!" She threw one last knife and the kunai are engulfed in an explosion as they surround him.

Sasuke swore as he performed a quick substitution. "You sure it's not revenge for leaving you on a stone bench all night?" he taunted. She always was emotional. It ought to be easy to push her to the edge, make her slip up.

"Shut up!" She searched for him, eyes darting about the landscape.

He burst into the open.

"Katon, Hōsenka no Jutsu!"

Multiple balls of flames hurtled towards the pinkette. She moved chakra to her feet and used it to boost her speed.

She remembered all the balls, all the training with Tsunade. "Just like the balls," she whispered as she began to weave around them. She ran forward after she was free.

"Someone's been training," he smirked. "But you'll never catch up with me."

"I'm not a little girl anymore!" she said.

He saw them. The sparkling tears at the corners of her eyes. "Then why are you crying just like that night?"

She didn't answer, just swung a punch. He ducked and swiped a kick at her feet.

"Maybe that's it. This is revenge for not answering your feelings!"

"Stop mocking me!" She grabbed at his cloak. She caught it and dragged him close to knee him in the stomach.

He doubled over, his air rushing out of him, just like the Valley of the End. But this was Sakura, and he would never lose to her. He leaped as far away as he could to regroup. Until he came with a plan he decided to stall.

"How do you intend to bring me back to Konoha when not even Naruto could do that?"

"Who said anything about bringing you back?" she answered, breathing a little harshly.

His eyes widened as she said it.

"Whatever means necessary," she repeated, guessing his thoughts.

Sasuke couldn't go back, he wouldn't! He decided to stop avoiding it. He would have to use chidori on Sakura. He gathered his chakra and soon the familiar sound of chirping filled the air. Sakura was rushing toward him. Was she insane? That was suicide. But he couldn't let this drag on any longer.

He ran toward her, and he was reminded of facing off his blond teammate like this once. The valley of the end. The only difference was this pink-haired kunoichi had no defense, was running at him with no jutsu to counter his.

The distance closed between them. No turning back.

As chidori ripped through her stomach, she plunged her last kunai into his gut. She heard his grunt as she pushed it further in, hitting his vitals. All of the medical training came in handy when it came to killing. Knowing just where to place her kunai, how far to dig it in. What killed the fastest.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun."

He stared at her, unable to believe it. She had kamikazed. Let him deliver a fatal blow in order to give the same to him. His scarlet eyes stayed locked with her viridian eyes in shock. He felt her grab his wrist with her blood-slick hand.

He was too shocked that this was how it was to end for both of them to resist as she pulled his hand closer, pushing his electric jutsu further in. She smiled, reading the unspoken question in his eyes. The chirping of chidori died as he stopped the jutsu so he could clearly hear her next words.

"I had to," she whispered. "It was the only way."

Then she's slipping, falling forward, her blood loss getting the better of her. He's sinking to his knees to catch her body.

"Annoying. Why didn't you dodge?" he demanded. She had only answered half his question. The other half she had avoided. She could've, should've dodged it. She still could have dealt a fatal blow as she dodged. Why had she chosen to take a fatal attack?

"You still don't get it, do you, Sasuke-kun?" she asked weakly. "I told you already."

"What?"

"Back when you left…I told you. Without you, my world is meaningless, empty."

That's when he noticed the tears on his cheeks. Streaking down to fall on her face. "Idiot…" he gasped.

She just smiled sadly in response.

"You could've dodged…" he sobbed.

She reached up slowly, brokenly, and ran her hand across his cheek, her thumb brushing the wet trails on it. He reached up and held it there, enjoying the feel of her fingers.

"I… I didn't plan on this…"

"I know."

"I never… wanted to hurt you."

"Yes, you did."

"Not like this though." He remembered the time he fought Naruto atop the hospital. When Sakura had run between them, and all he could think was that he couldn't stop, move, dammit! He hadn't wanted to hit her. Yet here he was, years later, seeing how things would have panned out then if Kakashi hadn't intervened.

Except he could feel his strength fading too. So he said what he should have long ago.

"You were never annoying."

Sakura rasped out a laugh, choking on her blood for a few seconds. "Don't lie to me… Sasuke…kun. We both know… you're not… that kind of person." She paused here. "So don't turn into one… because I'm dying."

He chuckled. "Fine. You're annoying as hell, Sakura." He leaned down, staring into her eyes. "Because… you never quit." Then brushed his lips across hers.

He laid her on the ground gently and collapsed beside her. "And because… I never could forget… you."

"Really?" her voice was hopeful, just like it had been back when they were genin.

"How can someone forget that hair of yours?" he retorted.

She laughed, only to choke again. When she finally recovered, she closed her eyes, smiling. "I love you too, you jerk."

He smirked. "Annoying."

He took her hand, gently squeezing. She squeezed back, turning her head slowly to look at him. He just stared into those eyes he had been haunted by and watched as the light in them began to fade.

She smiled a little, tightening her grip slightly, then let her eyes slide closed.

Their final battlefield turned orange with the sun's setting rays when Sakura slipped away and Sasuke's eyes fell closed.

End


End file.
